Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Lakota Tehya Wakley, a 21-year-old resident of Clovis, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that between November 18 and December 9, 2024, Wakley conspired with others to distribute the drug. The investigation into Wakley's activities began following the overdose death of a 24-year-old man from Fresno who had consumed fentanyl. It was determined that Wakley referred users of the drug to his co-defendant, who sold fentanyl pills and shared profits with Wakley. Judge Sherriff concluded that Wakley's actions directly led to the victim's death.
The case was investigated by the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team (FORT), which includes Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin Lee and Arin C. Heinz are handling the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), an initiative aimed at reducing the availability of synthetic opioids in high-impact areas and identifying distribution networks and suppliers both domestically and internationally. The Justice Department launched S.O.S. in July 2018, implementing it in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
